One Small Thing by Erin Watt

Author:Erin Watt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2018-07-17T16:00:00+00:00

19

“What’s this?” Mom asks the next morning as I slide the printed page toward her.

“It’s a contract,” I say proudly. I reach across the kitchen table to give Dad his copy.

He squints at it, unable to read without his glasses. “A contract for what?”

“It’s a...” My mom trails off as she keeps reading.

“It’s a family contract,” I declare. There were other titles, like Contract for Good Behavior and Contract for Responsibility, but they all sounded so demeaning and one-sided. “I promise to abide by rules that you believe will keep me safe, and in exchange you allow me to visit the school of my choice.”

“You are not going to USC,” Dad says, slapping the paper down.

I have to bite back an angry response. “It’s not USC or UCLA or Miami. It’s Iowa State.”

That stuns them into silence. Mom picks up her coffee cup and takes a quick sip. Dad narrows his eyes at me.

“Iowa State,” he echoes suspiciously.

I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. “Yes.”

Mom finally finds her voice. “Why Iowa State? This is the first time you’ve mentioned it.”

“It’s the first time I’ve thought of it,” I admit. “But it’s the one school that came up over and over again in my research last night.”

Mom looks curious. “What research?”

Her receptiveness has me barreling forward. “I want to be a vet. I’m going to have to change a few classes next semester, although I don’t think my high school credits matter much. But it’s always a good thing to have extra sciences under your belt if you’re going the medicine route, even doggy medicine. Iowa State is one of the top vet schools in the country, and it’s close by so that you can visit often.” But far enough away that I can have some feeling of independence. I don’t explain this point to my parents, though. No sense in scaring them away.

Mom purses her lips in thought.

Dad still looks skeptical.

“It’s only six hours away from here,” I tell them. “And I’m not even asking to attend there. I’m asking for a school visit.”

Dad glances down at the contract again. “It also says that we’ll give you back your phone if you’ve been compliant with all our rules.”

“Yes. It’s hard to contact you if I have a problem at school or on the way home.”

“And you want to go back to the animal shelter.”

“Yes.”

“Since when do you want to be a vet?” Dad asks.

“Since last night,” I confess. “It was an epiphany.”

Mom’s lips twitch as if she’s trying not to smile, but then she can’t fight it anymore, and a huge grin spreads across her face.

My heart squeezes, because it’s been so long since I’ve gotten such a big smile from her. And her eyes are shining with pride.

“You know how much I love animals. If it was up to me, we’d adopt every stray that showed up on our doorstep.” From the moment I saw my very first dog at the age of three, I’d begged my parents for a pet.

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